ImageIngester and ImageIngesterPro do more than just copy images from your camera or card to your computer: They automate tedious, but important, steps in your workflow that you'd otherwise have to do manually, every time you ingest. Steps like making a backup, verifying images, renaming image files and arranging them into folders, applying metadata, and converting to DNG.
Saves time and improves reliability by automating critical steps at the start of your workflow: Ingestion with double backup; naming; moving to folders; applying bulk metadata and Camera Raw/Lightroom settings; GPS tagging; converting to DNG; verifying; correlating multi-camera shoots.
# Automatic ingestion and ejection of cards.
# Backing up images so there's a second, or even third copy, ideally on a separate device such as a FireWire drive.
# Renaming images to something more descriptive than, Say, DSC_0123.NEF. Perhaps something like MJR_20061204_173802_0123.NEF (initials, date, time, and original file sequence number).
# Arranging images into folders, set up however you like. Perhaps something like 2006/12/04 or 2006/2006-12-04 or Commercial/Muriel's Wedding/01234-01399.
# Converting images to DNG, which is Adobe's Universal raw format. You can choose most of the DNG options, such as full-size JPEG preview and embedding the original raw.
# Verifying images, to help ensure they got copied OK from the card. You can run DNG Converter without actually converting to check raws; the checker for JPEGs is built-in.
# Launching a Viewer, so iView Media Pro, Bridge, or whatever you choose gets started as soon as ingestion is complete.
# Adding bulk metadata, so you can insert data that applies to the entire ingestion, such as your copyright notice, keywords, subject and location information, and even iView Media Pro catalog sets. (enhanced in Pro)
